Ardavanis, Palmer Sweep WAC Swimming & Diving Weekly Honors

Nov 15, 2011

DENVER, Colo. – Junior diver Kristy Ardavanis earned her second consecutive Verizon WAC Diver of the Week honor and sophomore swimmer Rachel Palmer was named Verizon WAC Swimmer of the week as NAU swept the weekly conference honors. The duo led NAU to a 3-1 dual record over the weekend in three meets in as many days in the state of Colorado.

Ardavanis, a junior from Gilbert, Ariz., won five of the six diving competitions she competed in last week. On Thursday, she won the 1-meter competition (292.13) and placed second on the 3-meter board (292.43) at Colorado State. Against Northern Colorado on Friday, Ardavanis won the 1-meter, with a career-best score of 308.78, and the 3-meter dive with a season-best score of 305.78, with both scores vs. Northern Colorado the second-best marks of the season in the WAC.

She followed that up on Saturday at Denver, again winning the 1-meter (281.50) and 3-meter competitions (299.60), defeating divers from both Denver and Utah. In four meets this year she has won seven of the eight diving events, with sweeps in three meets, and has already qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving championship in both events.

A sophomore from Bucklands Beach, New Zealand, Palmer won six different events and had two third-place finishes during the past week. On Thursday at Colorado State, she won the 400-meter individual medley in 4:32.45, the second-best time in the WAC this season, and captured the title in the 200-meter butterfly while swimming the third leg on the first place 400-meter medley relay team.

On Friday at Northern Colorado, she won the 200-yard freestyle, the 100-yard butterfly, and finished third in 100-yard breaststroke. On Saturday in the multi meet with Denver, Seattle and Utah, she won the 200-yard backstroke over nine other competitors, swam the third leg of the 200-yard medley relay team that placed third, and finished fifth in the 200-yard individual medley. She has won nine total events in just four meets this season.

Ardavanis and the NAU divers return to action this weekend at the Wildcat Diving Invite in Tucson, while both squads will be in action next Monday in a home dual against Washington State.